Investors ready for bumper Middle East bond issuance

The Middle East bond market is expected to pump out more than US$30bn of bonds for the remainder of the year, with asset managers expecting there to be plenty of demand across the rating and maturity spectrum.

In the first half of this year, Middle East borrowers – mostly from the Gulf Cooperation Council region – have raised US$48bn, according to Dealogic. This is the highest first year volume in the last six years, with the January to June market more than doubling in size from where it was in 2012 to 2015.

More deals are expected to come for the rest of the year, according to Zurich-based Fisch Asset Management.